Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मतेजोहतः सोऽपि प्रोक्तस्तेन सुनिष्ठुरम् । नोवाच चोत्तरं किंचिदालेख्ये लिखितो यथा

Transliteration

brahmatejohataḥ so'pi proktastena suniṣṭhuram | novāca cottaraṃ kiṃcidālekhye likhito yathā

Translation

แม้ถูกตรัสด้วยถ้อยคำอันโหดกร้าว เขาผู้นั้นก็ถูกรัศมีแห่งพรหมัน (พรหมเตชะ) กดทับ จึงมิได้ตอบสิ่งใดเลย ดุจภาพเขียนบนผนัง

Word by Word

• brahma-tejaḥ-hataḥ: struck by Brahmanic power
• brahma-tejaḥ-hataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक) + hata (√han, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मतेजसा हतः = struck by Brahmanic energy)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अपि = also/even

• proktaḥ: was addressed
• proktaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (having been spoken to)

• tena: by him
• tena: Kartr (Agent/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन

• su-niṣṭhuram: very harshly
• su-niṣṭhuram: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/प्रत्ययार्थ) + niṣṭhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), सु-उपसर्गेण तीव्रता (very harshly)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• uvāca: spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction), समुच्चयार्थक

• uttaram: an answer
• uttaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम

• ālekhye: in a painting / on a drawing
• ālekhye: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ālekhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• likhitaḥ: written/drawn
• likhitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √likh (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yathā: as if / like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/adverb), उपमानार्थक (as/like)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Haihaya lord stands rigid, eyes fixed, mouth closed—like a mural figure—while an aura of brahma-tejas emanates from Paraśurāma.

Characters & Entities

• brahma-tejas
• Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• Haihaya lord

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power (brahma-tejas) can overpower brute force; inner radiance and tapas are portrayed as decisive in dharma narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is embedded in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-glorification, pointing toward Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra’s ritual setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it describes the effect of brahma-tejas within the story.